The meat lobby would have sabotaged a third of European ecological policies

The factory farming industry, following the lessons of fossil fuel companies, has lobbied significantly for EU climate policies to be weakened.To date, already a third of European measures to reduce emissions has been compromised by the industry.To make it known, a relationship of the independent expert group InfluenceMap, which examined the lobbying campaigns conducted in the EU over the last three years by 10 companies and 5 trade associations relating to the meat and dairy industry.The focus was in particular on 6 key ecological policies, such as the industrial emissions directive or the Farm to Fork strategy.Companies involved in breeding and meat production - such as Arla, Danish Crown, Tonnies group, FrieslandCampina, Vion food group - have specifically promoted the most critical and influential positions.The report also suggested that some meat industry giants have used their trade associations to advance their interests, thus protecting themselves from unwanted controversy.

InfluenceMap's new analysis has therefore highlighted a concerted campaign by the meat and dairy industry to undermine political efforts to address the sector's climate impact. A real strategy which has significantly influenced EU environmental policies relating to the production and consumption of meat and dairy products.The report, in particular, examined the involvement of companies and their trade associations regarding EU policies aimed at reducing climate-changing emissions in line with the 2019 Special Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).According to the analysis, consumer goods giants, such as Unilever and Nestlé, have shown this in this case a more positive commitment towards EU policies with respect to meat and dairy producers such as Arla and Danish Crown.Furthermore, it emerged that the trade associations representing these companies were heavily involved in these lobbying actions, often aligning themselves with the most contrary positions taken by food manufacturing companies.Overall, meat and dairy producers, along with their industry associations, have employed tactics similar to those used by the fossil fuel industry to hinder climate policies.These tactics include building a strategic narrative and detailed political commitment.Indeed, both sectors have used misleading arguments in their public communication to sow doubt and undermine the need to address greenhouse gas emissions.Among the main tactics is the attempt to distance the sector from responsibility for the climate crisis by denying the need for a change in diet, reducing the impact of emissions and emphasizing their efficiency improvements.At the same time, the sector has worked to highlight the importance of livestock farming for society, highlighting its benefits in economic, health and food safety terms.

Overall, the document indicates that industry efforts have largely succeeded in undermining key climate policies aimed at the sector in the EU.Between 2020 and 2023, the intense pressure from companies has in fact led to a significant weakening of a third of the policies examined, with half of them appearing to have stalled entirely due to opposition from companies and industry associations.Policies affected include the Sustainable Food Systems Framework, a cornerstone of the Farm to Fork strategy, and the revision of the Industrial Emissions Directive that regulates polluting emissions from large European companies.As if that wasn't enough, lobbying from the meat and dairy industries also had an influence the position of the European conservative political party on policies related to dietary transition and emissions from the agricultural sector.Between 2022 and 2023, the European People's Party's opposition to key policies and reductions in the sector's greenhouse gas emissions mirrored the narrative promoted by meat and dairy producers and their industry associations.An alignment which, probably, also influenced the Party's approach to the 2024 European elections.

[by Simone Valeri]